Œdipus Tyrranus

Œdipus Tyrranus

• Important names– Œdipus

– Iocasta

– Creon

– Teiresias

– Polybus

– Laius

• Setting– At Thebes, some years

after Œdipus answered the sphinx’ question and was made king.

• Plot– Œdipus himself

gradually reveals that he has murdered his father and married his mother.

OT Plot Summary

– I. Introductory dialogue (1-150)• A. O learns of the plague from a priest of Zeus (1-

57)– 1. O describes the scene and himself (1-8)

– 2. O asks a priest to explain, promises to help (9-13)

– 3. Priest explains the situation (14-57)

» a. Ship of state is reeling (22-24)

» b. The plague (25-30)

» c. Backstory on the Sphinx; n.b. the priest’s characterization of the event (31-39)

» d. Plea for help (40-57)

OT Plot Summary (cont.)

• B. O takes immediate action (58-86)– 1. O feels the city’s trouble (57-64)

– 2. He’s already on it, has sent C to Delphi to get Apollo’s advice (65-77)

– 3. C arrives (78-86)

• C. (87-150)– 1. C reveals Apollo’s oracle: drive out the pollution of

murder by expelling L’s murderers from the city (95-111)

– 2. C tells the story of L’s murder (112-131)

» a. He and his attendants were killed while on an embassy (114-115)

OT Plot Summary (cont.)

» b. The lone survivor claims it was a group of bandits (123-124)

» c. The killer was not hunted down because of the Sphinx (130-131)

– 3. O promises to solve the riddle and avenge the king (132-150)

– II. Parodos (151-215)• A. Chorus calls upon Apollo, Athena, and Artemis

for aid (151-167)

• B. Plague vividly described (168-185)

• C. Chorus calls upon Dionysus for help (210-215)

Athens

OT Plot Summary (cont.)

– III. Episode I (216-461)• A. O speaks with the chorus (216-299)

– 1. He promises amnesty for any who give information (218-232)

– 2. He commands exile for anyone hiding information (233-245)

– 3. He curses the murderer to misery (246-252)– 4. He orders the citizens to uphold his commands (252-254)– 5. Dramatic irony (259-268)– 6. Chorus suggests calling T (284-286)– 7. O is on it, has already sent for him (287-289)

OT Plot Summary (cont.)

• B. O speaks with Teiresias (300-461)– 1. O asks T for help (300-315)

– 2. T refuses to reveal the murderer, O grows angry (316-344)

– 3. O accuses T of complicity in the murder (345-349)

– 4. T is angered, responds that O is the murderer (350-363) and lives in shame with those he loves best (366-368)

– 5. O suspects C of working with T to strip O of the throne (378-389)

– 6. O boasts of answering the Sphinx’ riddle (390-401)

– 7. T responds: O doesn’t know who he is (415-419) or what he will soon suffer (419-425)

OT Plot Summary (cont.)

– 8. T reveals that he knows O’s true parents, but won’t tell who they are (435-438)

– 9. T utters a final prophecy and departs (452-461)

– IV. Stasimon I (462-512)• A. The chorus guess wrongly about the identity of

the murderer (477-482)

• B. They cannot understand T’s words (485-495)

• C. They confuse divine knowledge with human wisdom (495-512)